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My niece and her husband were visiting from Philadelphia. After their wonderful cruise on Royal Caribbean we decided to meet for a farewell dinner before their flight the following day. My son and his wife had raved on and on about the food at Caffe Abbracci and although I thought it a bit expensive for my niece...Her and her husband are teachers...I agreed on dining there.

We were a party of 8 and being a Friday evening...even though it's summer...the only reservation my daughter-in-law could secure was at 9pm. Fine with me....I like eating late. I arrived a bit later then the others and had a difficult time finding a parking spot so I said...forget it...and I valeted. $ 8.00....ouch!!! But then again...it was Coral Gables and this is a upscale restaurant.

Upon entering the restaurant..it seemed extremely crowded and there was no one at the front to assist me in finding my party. Finally someone arrived and I advised them that I was looking for a party of 8 under my son's name. The man was very huffy and seemed disoriented...said he didn't know and told me to go into the dining room and look around. Hmmmmm Service?

I found them immediately and they had already had starters, drinks and had ordered their entree...no biggy...I knew I was late. Their food arrived almost within minutes and I noticed that each one had ordered something different. My son had ordered a black pasta with seafood...looked interesting. The other dishes didn't look that appealing to me....they all ordered pasta except for a friend of my nieces and he had ordered chicken Marcella. It was a generous portion and he said it was quite good.

I wasn't quite sure what I was in the mood for...definately not pasta. The menu was actually different then the one I had reviewed online. I decided on the veal chop. It was interesting to me that the menu...not that large...offered 4 veal dishes.

While I sat there and watched my family eat...the table was basically in the aisle and everytime a waiter passed but....my chair got bumped. Ok....that can be quite annoying. Also...the noise level was extremely high and I found it hard to hear what my family was saying. Very very loud.

So I don't know how long they had waited for their food but they had already finished and I was still waiting. You would think that in a high class restaurant with high class prices that the waiter would come and present the new arrival with fresh bread and butter...but alas...no bread for the hungry.

I finally flagged down our waiter who was lounging in the back area to find out how much longer it would be before my food arrived. An older man...obviously had been working there forever and needed to retire. His attitude was unbelievable....he acted like he was doing me a favor. Not very pleasant...I wish I had caught his name. He did let me know that the veal chop was quite thick and it took an extremely long time to cook....Oh really????

My food arrived...Hoorey!!! The plate was scalding...the potatoes and the string beans were ice cold and the veal chop was warm. But I had waited this long...I was not sending it back. Obviously....Having grown up in the restaurant business...the food had been ready ages ago and was left to dry out under the hot lamps before my most "pleasant" waiter decided to retrieve it and honor me with the morsels. The veal chop was good...perfectly cooked...but honestly....how can you ruin a veal chop? Nothing special...nothing fantastic...just a plain veal chop. I've got news for you...I've had better. Another thing was...it was an ok size...I wouldn't say it was small and I wouldn't say it was huge...just regular. Very forgettable.

Meanwhile....since every one had already finished...I guess I was the center of attention since I had the food. While I ate...the waiter rudely comes over to take dessert orders....can you not wait? Are you in that much of a rush to get home?

They each order a different dessert....nothing rocked my boat....they just didn't look that great. The Napoleon was weird...puff pastries that were lopsided and not much in the middle...Tiramasu....ehhh....Ricotta cheese that was flooed with some non descript red sauce.

I finished dinner and just opted for some coffee...not very good.

All in all...it was just medicore. The food was ok....Not the rave reviews I had read on numerous sites...the waiter stepped on my toes...twice. I actually think I would have had a better taste in my mouth if the service had not been so deplorable.

I just don't get it....People wake up....this is not fine dining!!!! I have eaten all over the world and can tell you....do you actually think this is good?

Again...another well known restaurant that people critique as "extraordinary" "incredible" "the best in Miami?" Please!!!! I've had better meals at Denny's.

Pass on this one and save your money. For good Italian food go to Papa Piccolo's...not pretentious and thats ITALIAN!!!

Visited August 2013

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Took my wife for our anniversary. The service was excellent. They were attentive to all our needs not knowing we were celebrating our 26th year married. The food was very tasty. The ambiance was nice and quite.We loved the desserts.

Visited August 2013

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josefc

Buenos Aires

Level Contributor

24 reviews

13 restaurant reviews

14 helpful votes

“Great late lunch for a party of 6”

Reviewed July 25, 2013

Arrived after the lunch rush and got outstanding service from the very professional waiters. All our dishes (mostly pastas) were fantastic and we enjoyed a relaxed meal with friends. A truly great lunch!

Visited July 2013

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Bill L

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Level Contributor

220 reviews

135 restaurant reviews

86 helpful votes

“This place is wonderful!”

Reviewed July 20, 2013

We didn't really plan ahead and decided at the last minute to go to Abbracci. We arrived slightly before they opened (6PM) with no reservation and we were assured they'd be happy to seat us when they opened.

What a totally marvelous place. Everyone welcomed us warmly and seated us immediately upon our return. The restaurant is relatively small however it is impeccably decorated, comfortable and is the place that I wish I lived across the street from.

They have a wide range of classical Italian specialties; there is something for everyone to be sure. The servers are old-school, professional and tuned in to everything around them. It's really great to be in a restaurant that offers all of the things that so many places say they offer, but don't.

At the end of our meal the owner, Nino, came to our table to ask how everything was. As it happens he is a career hotelier and we both had several colleagues and friends in the business over many years. It was an added pleasure to share that with him. It really is a small world considering both of us worked in hotels in Asia decades ago.

I'd recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a top-class meal and all that it entails. Now if only they delivered by air ---

Visited July 2013

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twhite4809

Miami

Level Contributor

264 reviews

134 restaurant reviews

197 helpful votes

“Great food and priced right”

Reviewed July 8, 2013

Had been quite a while since I ate at Abbracci and after this meal it won't be so long before I go again. The great thing about Abbracci is that the food is top shelf, but also the choices are more down to earth than most of these pretentious "foodie" restaurants. While the food is definitely high end Italian, they are trying to appeal to the boorish food and wine snobs. However, if you really enjoy top quality Italian food you will love Abbracci.

The prices are quite reasonable (not cheap) for the level of food and service. I can highly recommend Abbracci.

Visited July 2013

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